12 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1,500-year-old baptistery found in Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in western Turkey

A baptistery, estimated to have been built in the 5th century AD, was unearthed in the Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in Aydın’s Kuşadası district.

About the baptistery unearthed in the western corner of the Anaia Church, one of the largest churches in Western Anatolia, located in the Kadı Castle neighborhood of Kuşadası, Honorary Chairman of the Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound Excavation Prof. Dr. Zeynep Mercangöz told DHA reporter, “Archaeological excavations are full of surprises. Anaia Mound also contains many surprises. We came across an early baptistery in an area we opened by chance. The peculiarity of the baptistery is that it is much more magnificent than its counterparts. This baptistery is a very important piece of data for its period.”

Three-unit octagonal baptismal pool. Photo DHA
Three-unit octagonal baptismal pool. Photo DHA

Inside the Byzantine-era structure, there is a three-unit octagonal baptismal pool and opus sectile floor coverings. Excavation and conservation work continues in the baptistery, located in the western corner of the Anaia Church, one of the most important examples of Byzantine architecture, which is considered one of the largest churches in Western Anatolia.

Opus sectile flooring. Photo DHA
Opus sectile flooring. Photo DHA

Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound is a settlement dating back to the 4th millennium BC

Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Assoc. Dr. Umut Tuncer said, “Kuşadası is an important center for tourism in Turkey. We continue our work without slowing down to strengthen cultural tourism in Kuşadası. In this sense, Kadı Castle – Anaia Mound offers us great potential. It has a long history dating back to the 4th millennium BC and the early days of the Republic. A very important structure was recently found. A 5th-century baptistery has been discovered. Work in this area is currently ongoing. The baptistery is also very important in preserving its structural integrity. It also has offers a great visual richness. Kadı Castle is a very special place where you can find a church, two baptisteries, and a prayer place on 3 acres of land.

Kadı Castle- Anaia Mound excavations are supported by the Turkish Historical Society.

Related Articles

The secret of the mummy in the Crystal coffin found in a garage in San Francisco

30 March 2023

30 March 2023

Mysterious mummies are a symbol of ancient lost times, which we often associate with Egypt and other ancient civilizations. Therefore,...

Czech archaeologists discovered a unique bronze belt buckle dating back to the eighth century

12 December 2023

12 December 2023

Czech archaeologists have unearthed a bronze belt buckle from the early Middle Ages, depicting a snake devouring a frog-like creature....

A ‘very rare’ clay figurine of god Mercury and a previously unknown Roman settlement were discovered at the excavation site in Kent

23 February 2024

23 February 2024

At a previously unknown Roman settlement that was formerly next to a busy port but is now 10 miles from...

Archaeologists Uncover 1,100-Year-Old Viking Boat Grave of Woman and Her Dog on Senja Island, Norway

6 June 2025

6 June 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery on Norway’s remote Senja Island, experts have unearthed a remarkably well-preserved 1,100-year-old Viking boat grave...

Stone Penis Found in Medieval Spanish ruins Had Violent Purpose

11 June 2023

11 June 2023

Archaeologists found a six-inch stone penis while excavating the Tower of Meira (Torre de Meira) in the city of Ría...

Archaeologists Discovered 1,500-Year-Old Maya Palace in Mexico

25 September 2023

25 September 2023

Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) archaeologists have discovered a palace at an ancient Maya city in southeastern...

Detector finds rare Merovingian gold ring refers to a previously unknown principality

22 February 2024

22 February 2024

A metal detectorist has unearthed a very rare, 1,500-year-old Merovingian gold ring made of 22-carat gold at Emmerlev in Southwest...

Mothers in the prehistoric were far more skilled at parenting their children than we give them credit for

24 November 2021

24 November 2021

The death rate of newborns in ancient cultures is not a reflection of inadequate healthcare, sickness, or other issues, according...

Metal Detectorist Finds on 4,000-year-old Dagger in Poland Forests

24 February 2024

24 February 2024

A copper dagger more than 4,000 years old was found in a forest near the town of Jarosław on the...

AI Uncovers Lost Babylonian Hymn After 3,000 Years — A Glorious Ode to the Ancient City

3 July 2025

3 July 2025

Archaeologists and AI experts uncover a 3,000-year-old hymn praising Babylon‘s grandeur, revealing rare insights into ancient urban society, education, and...

A prehistoric monument consisting of three round enclosures, one of which resembles a horseshoe, was discovered in France

7 April 2024

7 April 2024

Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) unearthed an unusual, prehistoric monument in the shape of...

Czech experimental archaeologists successfully completed their 1-month voyage in the Aegean Sea using a replica of a prehistoric vessel

17 July 2023

17 July 2023

Radomír Tichý, an archeology professor at the University of Hradec Králové who is also the director of the Všestary Archeopark,...

The Mystery of the Hekatompedon: An Ancient Shepherd’s Graffiti Sheds New Light on the Mystery of the Acropolis’ Lost Temple

13 June 2024

13 June 2024

The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments, the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed to the world by ancient Greece,...

The largest marine turtle fossil of its kind ever discovered in Europe unearthed in Spain

21 November 2022

21 November 2022

In northern Spain, scientists discovered the remains of a new species of enormous marine turtle. The prehistoric creature is the...

‘Australia’s silk road’: the quarries of Mithaka Country dating back 2100 years

4 April 2022

4 April 2022

In Queensland’s remote Channel Country of red dirt and gibber rock, traditional owners and archaeologists have unearthed what researchers have...